Friday, June 27, 2008

Biotouch PMEU Conference Call Today

We'd an interesting Biotouch Conference Call Today. The participants:
  1. Macarena Pallares
  2. Juha Mentu
  3. Helge Keitel
I'd a separate discussion with Elias Hakalehto after our online meeting. Elias hopes that the traditional paper forestry industry would understand the deeper meaning of "bio" in future biorefineries.

"The present biorefinery technology is based on one hundred years old inventions. We do have the tools and intellectual property for a radical modernization of how we use and monetize future fiber processing. But we need partners with a deeper understanding about the added values that the Biotouch-approach can deliver," Elias said.

We discussed the Biotouch PMEU biotech service concept and its wide range use on a global scale. Juha informed about a recent problem solving case in southern Europe where PMEU proved its value as a problem solving tool.

The other thing is the combination of Luminometry and PMEU in paper / board machine microbial online activity control with PMEU as an added value "disease determination."
  1. Luminometry and ATP as a "thermometer" to indicate what's happening (fever)
  2. PMEU is the tool for in depth determination of the cause of the "sickness"
  3. The Biotouch concept provides a methodology for standardized problem solving
The Porvoo community water supply reported about a problem during our meeting. PMEU would be the tool for fast determination of malicious microbial presence. Let's hope it isn't a new Nokia Water Case.

Macarena told about the the strong food processing industry in Mexico. Another case where the Biotouch approach could be used is in the Mexican world class cement industry.

Financing of a world wide operation to promote Bitouch and PMEU solutions were discussed.

We do have a revolutionary biotechnological solution - comparable with microscopy - for rapid microbe growth determination, but we would need a partner with deeper pockets to support the globalization of Biotouch-operations.

"A company in the USA called QuoNova has started to attack the problem of biofilms as a health problem and they are developing products that allow combating biofilms in wounds and in cystic fibrosis in lungs," writes Macarena in her previous posting.

I'd like to have your comments about this.

6 comments:

Juha V. Mentu said...

The second rise of forest industry biotechnology is starting today!

First one, focused on the biobleaching of chemical pulp (when Cl2 was detected to be the criminal of dioxine case, affecting chemical pulp mills all over the world) has developed the first biotechnical invention in P&P industry.

Before biobleaching, however, one significant area of biotechnology has already proved to be solid one: biological waste water purification.

I was involved in the research of paper industry waste waters in Helsinki University in the beginning of 80's (led by professor Seppo Niemelä, Dep. of Microbiology). The remarkable improvement in the hygiene of river Kymijoki, Finland (based on the quantitative analyses of coliforms and streptococci) was achieved by constructing activated sludge plants by the river. Keeping in mind that P&P industry, in many cases, is more significant source of certain coliforms and streptococci than waste waters of small cities, investments in P&P waste water treatment has really been most important biotechnological step in this area of industry in Finland.

Brand new ideas, no matter their background research prove their applicability into P&P industry, seem to need certain "incubation period" because the charasterically features of this industry. Referring both succesful topics mentioned - biological waste water purification and biobleaching - , the future forecasts of BIOTOUCH are certainly very promising, too.

Elias Hakalehto said...

The particular cultivator system, PMEU, developed by Finnoflag Oy, is providing the user benefits both in rapid detection and in fundamental process research. Finnoflag Oy has been using it in various practically orienteered problem solving projects. A multitude of these projects have been carried out with Juha Mentu in the wood industry, where the microbiological process parameters in the paper or pulp machine are thus elucidated.

These research uses of the PMEU have been made wider in different limnological and water microbiology studies on the waterways, too. Additionally, we have been studying the water distribution network of the city of Kuopio. The economic considerations of the benefits of the increased alertness offered by the Finnoflag's PMEU (Portable Microbe Enrichment Unit)are have been calculated by the Savonia Technical University.

Elias Hakalehto, Docent in Biotechnical Microbe Analytics

Juha V. Mentu said...

Many paper mills have told that they can release waste waters with better hygiene quality than what they are taking in into the mills.

This indicates that, in some countries, the mills cannot be sure that their raw water is good enough for the production of paper and board.

Why not check the quality of raw water with some rapid method? Like PMEU? It should help to adjust the dosage of Cl2 (hope not), ClO2 (better), PAA (better) or Bromine Hydantoine (better)?

Regards,
Juha

Pulp and Paper machinery said...

Good read article. It enhances our learning about the topic. Keep coming.

Pulp and Paper machinery said...

Biotech service concept indeed inspires the community to keep an eye on new advances within its field.

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Did you Macarena Pallares herself? she is an amazing person! beautiful and smart!